On November 5th and 12th, a two-part Oprah Winfrey episode will air which deals with the subject of child sexual abuse of males.
Watch the preview.
Read the comments.
David Brown, who was in the audience for the taping, says...
When Oprah read our emails detailing our stories of our abuse she was moved to make two shows on the subject. Understand this is NOT just about clergy abuse but child sexual abuse of males. Tyler Perry (abuse victim himself and 2nd highest paid person in Hollywood) is co-host. This is a very emotional subject and the fact they could get 200 men to stand as one voice in speaking about child sexual abuse is so awesome.
I know many will not be interested but let me beg you to watch. Have you ever seen 200 men in tears? You will on the 5th and the 12th. If you know of anyone that was abused as child you must watch.
One in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused in America TODAY!! There are 39 million victims of child sexual abuse in America. Those are very real numbers. There are over 600,000 convicted, admitted, credibly accused pedophiles in America. Over half that number swear, state, vow they attend church regularly.
This crime is not going away. And please do not think that it will never happen to your family. It may already have. The shows tell you how to look for those signs of abuse and how to deal with them.
This is not a crime in the past but of the present and future. Unfortunately there was so much shame that we have remained silent for way too long. It was 35 years before I began to deal with my abuse and yet another 9 years before I could really speak about it. Please watch these shows, not for me but for your families. And if you suspect someone you love or know is a victim call me at (901)569-4500. There is help available. They do not have to endure this crime alone.
Help is also available from any regional office of S.N.A.P.
Read the account of another man who was there for the taping.
In the Memphis market The Oprah Winfrey Show airs on WMC-TV Channel 5 at 4:00 p.m. In other areas please check your local listings for channel and time.
David,
ReplyDeleteDo you have any advice on how to deal with this subject with our children?
I have 3 innocent kids - I know this because (with the exception of a 4yo neighbor's "You show me, I'll show you") I have never left them alone long enough to give opportunity for a situation to arise.
Is it possible to make them aware without giving them too much information? They know to let ANYONE know if someone makes them feel uncomfortable in any way.
You may e-mail me if you prefer...
I pray for your ministry often. You are evidence of God's restoring power!
I will pass this information on!
First of all I want to thank those that watched this first show. The second show is so much more emotional and powerful if that can be possible. That is the portion when most of us cried, openly. I was so blessed to have been one of those 200 men.
ReplyDeleteI had a close friend tell me he could only watch about 15 minutes because it depressed him so much he turned it off. I told him he took the easy way out. I said I wished we could turn off our abuse and pain that easy. I begged him to go online and watch the entire program. Thankfully he did.
This coming Thursday on the 11th there will be a showing of the DVD "Sacred Secret" that I made with Andre Conte's (First Lady of Tennessee) group, You Have The Power (www.yhtp.org). The program will be at Lindenwood Christian Church beginning at 6:30. The DVD details how to PROPERLY deal with child sexual abuse in the faith community. The program is being sponsored by the Memphis chapter of the Child Advocacy Center. It is powerful DVD. Every time I take part in a program like this or show it to a group it leaves me drained. Seeing so many showing up to view it and knowing we are talking to victims in the crowd that have yet to deal with their abuse. Remember those stats: 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused in America TODAY before they turn 18! They are very real numbers.
I have personally shown that DVD to many churches, youth groups, Sunday School teachers, and some school groups. I do not for one minute think I will ever change the leaders of these churches or denominations. That would be a miracle. I can only hope and pray I reach those that sit in the pews, not by attacking their faiths and beliefs but by appealing to their conscience. When they begin to realize their children are at risk you get their attention. My goal is one heartbeat at a time. I will leave the miracles to God.
Dear TN Liz I would suggest being as frank as you can without scaring them. Encourage them to come to you with any concerns like this. And if they do, don’t panic. Contact the authorities, call the Child Advocacy Center. Don’t try to contact the suspected offender. Let people that are trained handle it. I can tell you the signs of abuse rather than tell you if some may be a pedophile. They are so crafted in their skills. Oprah has listed on her site several resources and I see she has now added a link to the story on how the pedophile grooms. And for one of the rare times, Oprah is posting the entire show online for those who missed it.
If you see an older person spending a lot of time and attention on your children be on guard. I am talking about both males and females. Don’t forget teens do abuse also. Continue to be diligent and on guard. Keep those batteries on full charge and keep that light shining brightly on a crime that loves darkness. If we took my friend’s tact we run the risk of failing our children, we can’t allow that happen ever again.
David Brown
SNAP Director of Tennessee/Memphis & West Tennessee
david@davidbrownpi.com
For all victims of rape or sexual abuse:
ReplyDeleteI've been told about a very helpful, faith-based website.
The address is puddytat82.blogspot.com
Thank you, David.
ReplyDeleteI will be praying Thursday, all day, for your audience to have eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to help, and hearts to love enough to protect the innocent and the abused.
I would say that this is one of the most important functions of Christian blogging. We must expose the awful sin of pedophilia within the church. The more we speak, the more leaders will be forced to face this pervasive issue. Thank you for posting this informative article.
ReplyDeleteHere is a follow up to the post Oprah events. We have started an Oprah's Men group on FB. So far 75 of the 200 men have signed up.
ReplyDeleteIt is so amazing to see the resolve and conviction of these brave men. We will not be silent.
There has been some discussion about having a reunion. We have talked about generating petitions asking the state legislatures to revisit the statutes on child sexual abuse as well as the Federal Government. We intend to present the petitions to the President. Right now we are projecting October 20, 2011 or 2012. October 20th is the day the show was taped.
I am so humbled and blessed to have been a small part of this tremendous group of men. The message it sends to all survivors, male or female, young or old: YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
David
Not all abusers are males. Here is the story out of Nashville I was interviewed about yesterday. Please note this is a Southern Baptist church. They changed their names a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI have reached out to them. We have offered to come in and show the Sacred Secret DVD along with a panel discussion. I will let you know if I hear from them.
Here is the link to the story:
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101123/NEWS03/11230330/Former+youth+worker+at+Franklin+church+charged+with+sex+abuse
David